The present invention relates to a leg protection device having a knee bag for preventing a lower leg of an occupant from hitting an interior panel in front of a seat in case of collision of a car or the like, and also for preventing a lower body of the occupant from moving toward the front of the vehicle by restraining the knee.
A leg protection device protects a lower leg of an occupant from a heavy load due to an impact hitting against an interior panel in front of a seat when a high-speed moving object, such as a car, experiences a head-on collision. A conventional device includes an air bag disposed inside the interior panel, i.e. in a space behind a back side of the interior panel, a gas generator for inflating the air bag, and a lid for covering the air bag in a normal state (when the high-speed moving object, such as a car, is not involved in a collision).
In such a leg protection device, the air bag is folded and placed inside the interior panel in the normal state, and the lid is mounted so as to cover the folded air bag.
When the car or the like experiences a head-on collision, the gas generator is actuated to eject a gas, and the ejected gas is supplied to the air bag, thereby rapidly inflating the air bag. In this case, the lid is opened with the inflation of the air bag, and the air bag is projected from the interior panel. Then, the airbag is inflated and deployed between the interior panel and the lower leg of the occupant so as to protect the lower leg from hitting the interior panel (hereinafter, such a type of airbag inflated in front of the leg will be referred as a “knee bag”).
An object of the present invention is to provide a leg protection device having a knee bag to be widely inflated and deployed in front of the leg in a short time even with a gas generator having a low output.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a leg protection device that ensures a sufficiently large thickness after the inflation.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.